A former landscape gardener has sounded a heartfelt plea for more to be done about dementia care after revealing his painful struggle to a panel of health leaders.

Hartlepool’s Eric Hughes was diagnosed with the degenerative illness aged just 55 - but has since fought to become an advocate for helping people understand the disease.

Mr Hughes, now 59, told the governors meeting of Hartlepool and Stockton CCG and Darlington CCG how he was diagnosed with vascular dementia while living on the west coast of Cumbria.

He revealed how he had to wait 12 months to get any help after his illness had been pinpointed following an MRI scan.

But he said his treatment changed when he moved to Hartlepool and went out for a walk on his own.

Mr Hughes said: “It was a Bank Holiday and I was struggling like mad - I went to see a GP and I was walking back to the bus when I was stopped by staff at The Bridge who noticed I was struggling in the heat.

“They invited me in and persuaded me to have a rest, have a cup of tea and that was it, I was hooked.

“They put me in touch with all sorts of people - it was amazing.”

The Bridge “Hospital of God” offers advice and support for people with dementia from its base on Villiers Street, in Hartlepool.

But Mr Hughes told the panel when he first asked his new GP in the town what was available for dementia care he was only offered a couple of daycare centres.

He added: “That was it - there was no mention of The Bridge of many other services - it was as if they did not know they existed. I was a bit disappointed with that.

“It was six months later that I was invited to The Bridge.”

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On top of his dementia, the father-of-three has lived with chronic ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) since he was 18, has had bypass surgery and prostate trouble.

Now Mr Hughes is a member of The Bridge, and works to train people through to become “dementia friends” to understand the illness.

He is also active in the Hartlepool early on-set dementia group in the town which meets on Thursday afternoons and works on the Waverley Terrace allotments.

“One of the worst things about diagnosis is all you get is negatives - you cannot drive, you cannot do this or that,” he added.

“Because we lived in Cumbria, it was very up and down so there was nowhere I could walk - Hartlepool is nice and flat so I can get about around the town and mix with people.”

He told the health panel how a tracker lets his wife know where he is to offer her “peace of mind”.

And his work on the allotments allows him to call on his award-winning gardening skills.

“I had my own landscaping company in Cumbria and I did win quite a few awards,” he added.

“It’s really gutting now when you’ve not got the strength and energy to do it and struggle to manage a few pot plants in the back yard - but going to the allotment gives me a bit of that back, doing cuttings and getting your hands in compost - it’s really good.”

This week is Dementia Action Week an initiative run by the Alzheimer’s Society to help people make one small act to help people who may have the illness.

Mr Hughes asked the panel what they could do to help.

Chairman Boleslaw Posmyk said: “I will go around my practices and I am sure they’ll be flagging up dementia friends with GP surgeries from now on.

“If we can get the care right in a general practice setting, that’s 90 to 95% of the care that everybody gets - so we can make sure people stay in familiar settings rather than situations which are much more difficult.

“I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to do what you have done today if I had dementia.”